Crowds enjoying a beautiful beach day were shocked when a 7-foot shark swam towards the shore at full speed at a Melenara beach in Spain at around 5 PM on Saturday, June 15th. Terrified tourists ran to get out of the water as the shark swam close enough to almost beach itself on the shoreline. You can see the shark’s fin and tail moving rapidly as tourists scream in the background.
Because the water was so shallow, the shark seems to be flailing about but still swimming faster than any human could. Tourists far from the shore watched in awe as the shark continued to swim along the shoreline. Daily Mail, who shared the video on Monday, June 17th, said that after the incident occurred police were forced to close the beach to both locals and tourists.
I can’t even imagine how scary this must have been! We all know that by getting in the ocean there’s a chance that sharks may be nearby, but most of us don’t expect them to swim right up to the shore! Daily Mail’s video has been viewed well over 4 million times already and people have left thousands of comments.
@alvinwizard610 get almost 19 thousand likes for his comment, “Who is screaming???? They’re on land!!!!!” I would’ve been screaming if my kids had been in that water at the time! @Cody Mathis made me laugh with his comment, “Terrifying. I just can’t believe that there’s a shark… in the ocean.” And I thought the same thing that @Matthew Houlston said, “That shark ‘charging’ the beach is most probably chasing food that’s trying to escape in water too shallow for its hunter to follow.”
Related: Shark Expert Shares What NOT to Do When Face-To-Face With a Shark
More Details About the Shark Incident in Spain
United Kingdom news outlet The Sun shared more details about the event, including that lifeguards had already cleared the water and shoreline after seeing the shark nearby. “A council spokesperson for Telde Council, the municipality Melenara beach comes under, said: “It’s important people stay calm and follow the instructions of the lifeguards and the authorities.” I wonder how many people would’ve been brave enough to get back in the water after that!
The Sun also reported that a search for the shark came up empty handed. This makes me think the shark was hunting and not paying attention to or trying to attack any humans swimming nearby.
Shark Attacks Are Rare
While it is a scary thought that you could be attacked by a shark while swimming in the ocean, chances are extremely low that it would ever happen. American Oceans explains more, “According to a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, there are approximately 80 to 100 shark attacks per year worldwide.” They also shared, “According to CNN, the odds of being attacked by a shark are 1 in 11.5 million. In comparison, the odds of being struck by lightning are 1 in 700,000.”
It’s important to note that when sharks attack humans it’s usually by accident, “Sharks typically attack humans when they mistake them for their natural prey, such as seals or fish. This is known as “mistaken identity.”
I love swimming in the ocean and while being attacked by a shark is the stuff nightmares are made of, I’m willing to take my chances and will remain cautious and stay close to the shore in areas patrolled by lifeguards on the lookout for them.
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